Dog Eye Care — The More You Don’t Look, The Less He Sees

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A whole lot of dog owners out there do not understand how important it is to care for their dog’s eyes. And that’s a very bad thing because dog eye care is a very important part of making sure your canine remains completely healthy.

If you’re one of the people who think that a dog’s eyes don’t really matter much, sorry to say but you’re very wrong.

Yes, for most dogs it’s “nose, then eyes, then ears”. However, that doesn’t mean that the eyes aren’t important.

Your dog also uses his eyes to communicate with his surroundings. In fact, there are certain dog breed types categorized as “sighthounds” who are known for hunting by sight.

These also go to prove how important a dog’s sight is and how dog eye care should never be overlooked by any dog parent.

Eye Infections

Most of the time, eye infections in your canine are caused when bacteria enter their eyes. The other few times are caused when they come in contact with some other dog who is already carrying the same infection.

These eye infections are often accompanied by an excess amount of crying. Also, your dog begins to get very sensitive to light and his eyes become reddened.

Sometimes, yellow or greenish discharge crusts on top of their eyes.

The breeds that are more prone to these infections include: Poodles, Pugs, Maltese, Pekingese, Shih-Tzus and Cocker Spaniels.

Cataracts

Cataracts can simply be explained as a clouding in eye lens. It makes your dog’s eyes appear whiter than normal or cloudy.

The result of cataracts in the eye is a slow deterioration in vision and if not taken care of in time, it can lead to permanent blindness.

According to Wikipedia, cataracts are the cause of half the blindness in humans all over the world. This staggering statistic only goes to show you how bad a problem this eye disease is.

So What Causes Cataracts?

Most of the time, cataracts are a genetic problem. They affect certain breeds a lot more than others. However, other things like diseases, problems with immune system, and injury can cause cataracts too.

What breeds are prone to this problem?

Bichon Frise.

American Cocker Spaniel

Havanese.

Poodle.

Miniature Schnauzer.

Terriers.

Inward Growth Of The Eyelids

Medically, this is referred to as entropion. It is the medical condition that refers to what happens when dog eyelids roll over or grow inwards. This makes the eyelids rub against your dog’s cornea causing damage.

Although this can happen to any dog no matter the breed, entropion is majorly a concern for the following breeds:

English Mastiff.

Rottweiler.

Weimarner.

Spaniel.

Vizsla.

English Bulldog.

Chow Chow.

Bloodhounds.

Great Dane.

Akita

American Staffordshire Terrier.

Third Eyelid Prolapse.

Quick pop quiz…

How many eyelids does a healthy dog have?

1

2

3

Well, if you guessed 2, you are absolutely… wrong. The correct answer is three. All dogs have three eyelids.

The gland in this third eyelid is tasked to protect the eyelid and secret tears. However, sometimes, this gland that secrets tears becomes swollen. When it is swollen, it is exposed to other diseases.

Once that has happened, you would begin to see mucus (mostly yellow). This is to tell you that there has been an irritation in the eye.

The most common bearers of this problem are Brachycephalic otherwise known as “flat-faced breeds”. Examples of flat-faced breeds include: Pugs, Shih-tzus, Pekingese.

Steps To Take In Dog Eye Care

We’ve been talking about dog eye care for a while now. But now, we will be taking a close look at steps that need to be taken so as to ensure your pooch’s eyes remain completely healthy all the time.

Gaze Into His Eyes

From time to time, take your dog to a properly lit area and just stare into his eyes. There would be no dramatic slow motion or music, lol. But this will enable you check his eyes properly.

They must be clear and also bright; the sclera must be clearly white. For those who don’t know, the sclera is the white part of the eye that surrounds the pupil.

Also, his pupils must be the same size, there must not be any tearing or discharge coming out of the eye. There shouldn’t be crust in any of the corners of his eye either.

Take A Close Look At His Lining

Take your thumb and gently move down the lower eyelid of your dog so you can check the lining. It must be pink. The lining shouldn’t be red, neither should it be white.

What To Look Out For

There are certain things, signs and red flags that you should look out for. Any of these would show that there’s something wrong with your pooch’s eyes.

Discharge.

Crusty gunk.

Red eyelid linings.

Eyes closed.

Cloudiness.

Discoloration of the eye.

Tear-stained fur.

When the third eyelid becomes visible.

Difference in pupil sizes.

Clean With Cotton Ball

Wipe your dog’s eyes with a moist cotton ball to get rid of gunk. And be sure to wipe the corners of the eyes properly.

Take care so you don’t touch his eyeballs. If every time you do this (assuming you’re doing this regularly) your dog seems to be discharging, see your vet.

Trim The Hair Around The Eye

Dogs who have really long hair will eventually hurt their eyes with those hairs.

What you should do is, with a scissors, trim the hairs that surrounds your pup’s eyes. this will make sure that his vision remains clear and hairs wont fall in which would cause itching.

Also, when you’re bathing your dog, be careful so that soap doesn’t get into his eyes. Most of these soaps and shampoos are major irritants.

In fact, before you bathe him, apply ointments around his eye to protect them.

Take Care When Driving

Most dogs love to put their face out the window while you drive, you might like it too. However, you should take care because debris can affect his eyes badly if they come in contact with each other.

So, to avoid long-term pain because of short-term pleasure, close the windows when you drive. Even if you can protect the eyes from debris, the excessive breeze from the window can dry your pooch’s eyes and cause irritation.

It’s Genetic

A lot of the time, most eye problems in dogs have their cause rooted in genetics. Many dogs are highly susceptible to certain eye disease types like glaucoma and progressive retinal atrophy.

You should make research and find out what eye diseases your pup’s breed is predisposed to. This will help you take even more precautionary measures and will also help you spot the problem immediately something is wrong.

Watch Your Dog Closely

There are certain things you can easily notice even if you look from afar. Eye rubbing or scratching consistently is your dog trying to say “hey, mum, dad, something is wrong with my eye”.

The final step that should be taken towards dog eye care is actually knowing what the various eye diseases that affect dogs are. So here are:

Summary Of The Major Eye Disorders Seen In Dogs

Conjunctivitis

Your dog’s eye or eyes will begin to look reddish and swollen. There might also be a discharge.

Dry Eye

This happens when there is a drastic reduction in the amount of tears produced by your dog. It causes corneal inflammation, makes your dog to squint and releases discharge.

Cherry Eye

When the tear gland is enlarged, there is a cherry-like mass formed on the dog’s eye.

Epiphora

When there is an overflow of the tears in your dog’s eyes, these tears can stain his facial fur.

Glaucoma

There is cloudiness in the eye and the eye swells due to increased pressure in the eyeball.

Ectropion

The eyelid grows inwards and it can cause tearing or discharge.

Cataract

Clouding of the lens of the eyes reducing opacity. It also causes impaired vision and can lead to permanent blindness.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy

This is mostly caused due to a degeneration of retinal tissue. The first sign of this is often night blindness.

Eye Drops For Dog Eye Care

The most effective preventive measure, treatment and cure for dog eye problems are the most obvious, eye drops. There are two types of eye drops for dogs and each with their different uses. Here’s they are:

1. Antibacterial eye drops: These are the most common type of eye drops you can find out there. This is because they are easy to get, over the counter, drugs.

You use this for your dog if he is weeping a lot to see if it was caused by a minor irritation.

The best thing to do remains taking your dog to the vet if anything is wrong. However, if that is not possible for whatever reason, you can use this for a day or two.

But if symptoms persist on the third day, please see your vet.

2. Steroid eye drops: These are prescribed eye drops used to cure inflammation of any part of the eye.

Because the eye is very delicate and sensitive, a little swelling can create a scar on the eye which would can lead to impaired vision.

These two types of eye drops are sometimes combined to produce a stronger eye drop that treats the inflammation and the root cause at the same time.

How do I select the right eye drop for my dog?

We advise that eye drops be used on dogs according to the vet’s prescription. However, if it’s not a major problem and just a minor irritation, there are a few types of eye drops you can buy over the counter.

There are whole lot of eye drops for dogs, while a lot of them serve the same purpose, a few others are only meant for certain ailments.

Neo Poly Dex Ophthalmic

This particular eye drop is used when treating inflammation and infection.

My name is Ekwuribe Emeka and I'm the smartest teenager alive. A jack of all trades, master of some, student of life. I love God, my family, friends, Chelsea football club and dogs, in that order.
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